Airship



AIRSHIP Filed July 2, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 27, 1931,

Filed July 2, 1929 T. SHORTS AIRSHIP 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. T. SHORTS Jan. 27, 1931.

AIRSHIP Filed July 2, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet s (11101 new Patented Jan. 27, 1931 Q ;NEL SONfrfSHORTS oBi rEnmr NNsYLvANIA Y Ma i: i

*Applicaticin filed July-2, 1929. Serial 375,388: r r

The present invention i relates toairships, and aimsto provide an airship which may .ascendand descend, withinsmall' space and which after taking off may have flightas an airplane. Another object oftheinvention is the provision of wings mounted for upwarcland downward movement, and -.novel means for moving said wings upwardly and downward ly and folding and .opening saidAv-ings 'dur-' ing their upward and downward movements, respectively, to: obtain .aE-lifting. force for vertical ascent-ordescent.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be: apparent as the deserip 'tion proceeds, the invention .resides' in the constructi'onuand arrangement of-parts, "as hereinafter described andclaimed, :1t being understood-that cliangescan be made within the scope of what is claimed, WithQut-departQ ing from the spirit of-the invention;

. The invent on is illustrated panylng drawings, Wh-ere1-n' Figure 1 is a diagrammatical plan view of an alrplane embodying the improvements. Fig. 2 isia front view of the wlng structure at one side.

. Fig. ture.

Flge the wmgs 1n another posltion. r p Fig. 5 1s an enlarged detail vlew of one of the wmg operating devlces.

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrammatical perspective views illustrating one of the wing operating devices. I V

The airship may be constructed similar to an airplane with the fuselage l, pro-peller'2, steering rudder 8, and elevators 4.

In carrying out the, invention skeleton frames or outriggers 5 project from the fuselagel and the wings 6 and? are dis-- posed therein. The, ailerons'S may be hinged to the frames 5. V i A. pair of wings 6 and 7 is mounted in each frame or outrigger 5, the wing 6 beingtermed the front wing and'the wing 7 being termed the rear wing, in that said wings are mounted at the front and rear, respectively, of the frame 5. I r

in the accombreaking the connection. I r

3 is an endview of said wing strucis a. cross '7 section thereof showing The front wing .6 is hingedly connected,

asat 9,;atthe front edge thereof with'slides 10, whi1e1the2reai wing (is hingedly connected, as at'l'l, atiitsrear edge withslidesl'fz. Said slides 10 and 1:2 aremOuhtedifor-ver 'tical movement in slots-l3 in the struts of the frame 5,;thereby mounting the. wings for upward and downwardreciprocation.

1 Wires or.otherflexible-elements lto'nnect V the lower ends of the slidesand the wings to limit the upward: 'sWingingJm vements ofthe wings andto assist inztransmitting the strains betWeen-the'wings, and frame Said elements lare. flexibleso as not to {interfere with ;the downward swinging movements of Y thewingsfi .I v

r The operating;meanslforthewingsin eludes "endless. sprocket; chains passing around upper andjlow'er sprocket Wheelslfi which are suitably supported bythe frame 5 at the front and rear thereof, and said sprocket Wheels are gearedto .sha fts' 1. 7

which are driven by the. engine (notjsh own) with suitable clutch means for, making and Referring to the frontlwingfiit is provided with a pair of armsi18 ancl'19 for each 7 corresponding sprocket chain with said arms extending across the opposite runs of sa d chain, and the chem hasan outstanding 111,220.

The arrangement-issuch, reference being i had to Figsfi and 7 ,that the wingfiis swung downwardly to vertical position or is folded when moved upwardly, and is swung to open or unfolded position when. moved down- .wardly, thereby obtaining an upward lift.

6. illustrates the wing 6 after being 7' raised, the lug having moved from under the arm 18 and approaching the arm 19. lVhen the lug 20"contactswith'the arm 19 it swings said armdownwardly,thereby swingingthe wing 6from folded to o'penposition,

as indicated in broken lines, and theyarm 19 Y I being moved downwardly with the lug v 20 will move the-wing downwardly. i 1 When the lower lalimit. of i movement -;is

reached, the lug 20 moves from io-fi? the arm 19, as seen in Fig. 7, and the lug2O then en-j gagesflthearm 18 andzswings said arm up- V repeated.

wardly, therebynioving the wing 6 from open to folded position, as seen in broken lines in Fig. 7 wardly with the lug 20, thereby raising the wing 6 in its folded position, and the cycle is The'arlns 18 and 19 of the rear wing 7 are at the rear edge thereof, but the operation is substantially the same, so that the rear wing is moved upwardly. while folded and is moved downwardly in open position.

- The-wings 6 and 7 are arranged to alternate so as to pass one another, one wing moving downwardly in open; position and the;

' other wing moving upwardly in folded position. Fig. 3 shows the wing 6 starting' downwardly in open position and tli'wing a while Fig. 4c shows the wh' if starting downwardly in open positionla nd the wing-6 starting upwardly in folded position.

' The upward and emma -a1 1no-ven1'-(- .nt o f the wings may thus beemployed'forobtaining a lifting force,- the downwardly mo'x' i'n g open'wings'actingjon the ldljl' underneath to obtain the, liftingfo'rce, and bya'egi'ilating the speed the airship may be made to ascend or descend or to remain at substantially the .same'altitude.

- hen the airship hasdascended it 'may be flown as an ai rplane.- This is accomplished by. stopping the operating means for: the

wings when the-rear wings Thavebeen moved upwardly and started downwardly,- so in Fig. 4. Th e forward motion of the airship will result in the frontvwi'hgs 16 being swung rearwardly and upwardly; This wouldnecessitate releasing the front shafts 17 so that the chainsl5 can run'baokw-ardly sufliciently to permit the arms 18 toswmg downwardly, and. provision for that purpose may be readily made by usin'g' a'sui'table clutch device. .1 i 3 Thewingsfi and 7, when open, have'a suit able angle ofJ-inciden'ce, and may also have .a suitable camber, so that said wings w i l l 'sus tain the airship infiight.

' Having thus described-the invention,what

is claimed as new is: a

I. In an. airship, a wing, means mounting same for upward and downward sliding and swinging movements, and operating means.

for moving said.wingupwardly and downwai'dly and folding and opening the wing in its upward and downward movements.

2. In an airship, a wingfnieans mounting the wing for upward and downwardand swinging movements, operating means including an endless sprocket chain having an outstanding lug, and arms secured to said wing to be engaged by said lug in itsupward and downward inovementsfor moving the wing. upwardly and downwardlyinfolded and 'open'po-sitions'. a 1

e 3. Iln'an ai-rshipmwxiing, means formount- The arm 18 is moved upstarting 7 upwardly in afgolded positio'n,

signature.

ing said wing for upward and downward and swinging movements, operating means i11- cluding sprocket wheels mounted at the upper and lower limits of movement of the wing and an endless sprocket chain passing around sald wheels and having an outstanding lug,

andarms secured to said wingand' extending across the opposite runs '0f-Sa1Cl'C-hh1h, one arm being arranged to be engaged by said lug in its upward movement toswing the wing'do'wnwardlyandthen ra se the wlng, and the other arm belngarranged to be engaged by said lug in the downward movement of the lugtoswing the wing upwardly to open position and tothen move said wing downwardly. 1 'i 4,-. In an airship, "front {and rear:wings,

means for mounting said wings for upward:

and doumwa'rd slidingf a nd swinging name ments, and operating means for alternately moving said wings to a'nolve one' wing downwardly in open 'posi-tion a'nd' the other wing upwardly in folded position.

.5. In an airship, .ront and. rear wings, means mounting said J wings for upward and; downward 'movement; to pass one another with the front and rear wings *hi'ngedly mounted at theirfront and rear edges, -re'-' spectively, and operating means for alter In testimony whereof-I hereunto aiiix 'ihy NELSON snon'rs. 

